Box-blank-guiding device



E. CRAIG.

BOX BLANK GUIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1918.

1 23,966. Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. CRAIG.

BOX BLANK GUIDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1918.

1 23,966, Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. vention.

STA

s PATENT ornron.

EDWARD CRAIG, or ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

BOX-BLANK-GUIDING DEVICE.

To all whom it mdy concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD CRAIG, a c1ti+ zen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of St. Joseph-county of Berrien, and State ofMichigan, have invented a certain new and'useful Improvement in Box-Blank-Guiding Devices, of which the fol: lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to stapling mae chines of that kind in which aguiding and supporting device having guiding means at one end andstaple-clenching'means at the other end is employed for guidinga foldedcarton blank into position to have the upper and lower flaps orover-lapped portlons thereof fastened together by a row of staples. I

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved carton blank guiding device of the foregoing general character.

It is also an object to provide an improved Fig. 2 is a planofthework-guiding supporting device shown in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1,showing the folded oarton blank in end elevation, and in position to bemoved forward under the stapler.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the said workguiding and supporting device.

As thus illustrated, the invention come prises a body or table 1 of anysuitable character, upon which a'stapler 2 of any sultable known orapproved character is mounted. This stapler is arranged in position to.drive Specification of Letterslatent; I

front elevation of a staplingand Eatented Dec. 2-, 1919.

v Application filed January 21, 1918.. Serial No. 212,873.

the staples downward; upon the clenching'de vice 3 mounted on the end ofthe fiex'ible bar 4:, which latter is of anysuitable or desired length,depending upon the size of the car-.

ton blanksto be stapled Said'bart isfleXibly' supported by a flexiblecoil or. convolue tion 5 which is rigid withthe'upright supportingportion 6, the p 7 provided with a bolt openin 8 by which the entiredevice is eithen rigi'ly or pivot ally supported on the bracket; arrn9l'fasr' ten'ed to the stapler head. It will be seen;

that the coil or convolution S'starts at the outer side of thesupporting portion fraud".

extends outward and rearward. and downward, infiat for-m, until itreaches the plane of the bar 4:, and then curves forward'until it uniteswith the outer end of the bar.v 4, whereby the portion6 is a-distanceabove-the top surface of said bar. Also, itflwill be seen;

that the upper horizontal portion 10-of" said coil or, convolutionserves as a support for the upper flap 11 of the carton blank, the

inclinedportion of'the coil orconvolution 5 extending upward to thishorizontal p0r-' tion-10, whereby the flap 11 will slide upwardly intoposition, thereon. Also, it will be seen that the lower flap 12, whenthe car ton blank ispushed forward, rests; upon the: top of the bar 4,wherebythis lower flap passes under the portion 6, the outer end: of"the latter being rounded at 13 to deflect the flap downward as it ispushedinto place. Also, it will be seen that the coil orconvolutionohasa gage l4 which engages thelonQ gitudinal edge of theflap 12, thereby to;

properly positionthe, flaps in theguiding de vise for f movement forwardupon. the top surface-of the bar 4 to receive the row; of" staples. Theportion 6' alsoserves as a'gage to' engage the longitudinal edgeofthe-fla'p I1, and in this w'ay'lateral displacement'of the car-tonblank is prevented. Each" time the stapler drives a staple, the downwardpressure thereof upon the two thicknessesofi th'eblank (11 and 12)resting'on top-of the, clenching device 3, forces the end ofthe bar 4:downward against the rest; or support; 15}

on the hodyof' the machine. This downward;

movement of the bar may be insured merely by thespringy ol resilientor'flexible charlatter having; a boss.

acter of the coil or convolutionfi, or if the latter be made stiff andrigid, then the pivot 16 extending through the bracket 9 and theopening8 to the boss 7 will allow the bar to tilt downward.

In operation, the carton blank is int-roduced into the guiding device,with the lower or flat body portion 17 of the blank resting upon the topsurface of the table 1, and with the flaps 11 and 12 restingrespectivelyuponthe ledge 10 and the bar 4, as"

previously described. The top flap 11 sags down and rests upon the lowerflap 12, after leaving the ledge 10, and the two flaps thus resting oneupon the other slide forward on top of the bare and upon the clenchingdevice 3 to receive the staples. Thestaples are driven successively,thereby to forma' row extending longitudinally of the lapping p0rtionsof the carton. of thecarton blank is deflected downward .;below the bar4: by the rounded outer end manufacture of the structure'is facilitated,

portionof the gage 1 1, so that the latter servesnot only-as a gage forthe purpose previously described, but also as a means for defleeting thecarton under the bar, when the end of the folded carton is pushedforward into place.

Thus it will be seen that the bar t is supported at its extreme end, andis thus balanced against any tendency to tilt sidewise under thedownward pressure of the stapler, the support being of such characterthat the bar does not have a tendency to sag or tilt downward at eitherside thereof. vAlso, with this construction, the production or so thatthe. cost thereof is less than in other cases. Also, the constructiontends. to facilitate the adjustment and manipulation of the .foldedcarton blank, and serves to accurately 7 guide the latter forward underthe stapler.

It will be understood, of course, that the gage llmay lee-omitted, asthe portion 6, by V engaging the longitudinal edge of the flap 11,.wil1properly position the folded blank in the guiding device. The coil orconvolution 5 forms an approach to the-horizontal portion 10, whichlatter forms a ledge over the bar 4 to support theupp'er flap of theblank, andthis approach-formed by the coil or convolution guides, theupper flap onto said ledge while the lower flap passes below the-ledgesIn this way, the ends. of both flaps can rest one-on top of the other onthe and can then bepushed.

coil; or 'convolution, forward, the upper flap rising automatically ontothe ledge 10, and the lower flap enter.-

ing automatically below this ledge andsliding forward on the bar tothereafter receive thereonthe upper flap as soon as the latter"beginsg'to'sag downward-after leavin said led e. V

' willibe seen that the portions 5and10 The body portion 17 practicallyform a spiral, one end of the spiral terminating at the rear end of thebar 4, and the upper end of the spiralterminating in the element v6 bywhich the spiral and V the bar are supported. This spiral formationprovides the necessarysup'port for the bar 1, in a manner that permitsthe proper feeding of the blank into pos1t1on to be stapled and allowsthe free end of the bar to of the other, after the two-flaps pass beyondsaid guiding device, thereby to receive the staples.

2. A v guiding device having a gage to engage the longitudinal edgeoftheupper flap. 1

' 3. A structure as specified inclaim '1, said device being in; the formof a coil or convolution extending gradually around into alinement withthe bar.

4:. A structure as specified-in claim 1,'said device having a gage toengage a longitudinal edge of thelower flap of theblank.

5. A structure as specified in claim l, said guiding. device'beingin'the form of a coil or convolution. which extends outward and.rearward from-a point over said-'bar and' structure as specified inclaim 1, said then inward and forward to the. rear end of the bar, sothat the bar and device are rigidly connected together, and said devicebeing flexible topermit the other; endof said bar to move downward underthe pressureof the stapler. T

6. In a device for guiding the upper and lower flaps of a folded cartonblank into position, for stapling, thecombination of a bar to supportthe lower flap, a ledge above the bar to support the upper flap inposition a.

to move forward onto the. lower flap, so that both flapswill then moveforwardin superimposed condition on the bar, as the blank isadvanced'toward the stapling position, and

means forming an approach to said ledge to guide the upper flap theretowhilelthe lower flap passes below theledge.

7. A structure as specified in claim 6, said means comprising an inclineleading up to saidledge from the planegof said bar. 7

' 8. A structure as specified in claim 6, said means forming a supportfor said bar.

9. In a stapling machine, the combination rial thereon, means foroperating upon the of a bar to support two thicknesses of matematerialto secure the two thicknesses to- I gether, thereby to form a lap seam,and a tending between the two thicknesses, thereby spiral support forthe bar. to guide the two thicknesses forward upon 10. A structure asspecified in claim 9, the the bar. lower end of the said spiralterminating at 11. A structure as specified in claim 9, sand 5 the endof the bar, and the upper end of the spiral support having means forengaging 15 Spiral being rigidly supported, so that the the edge of thelower thickness of the mateupper end portion of the spiral extends overria1.

the bar, and whereby the said spiral support Signed by me at St. Joseph,Michigan, forms a guide for the two thicknesses of his 10th day ofJanuary, 1918.

10 material, the upper portion of the spiral ex- EDWARD CRAIG.

